Why the World's Exploding Population Isn't as Bad as it Seems

The world population hit seven billion yesterday. But Joel Kotkin says those obsessed with this number are missing the point.

Kotkin, a geographer (he edits the site New Geography) and professor at Chapman University in California, argues that we should worry about rapid aging as much as overpopulation. In many developed countries, particularly East Asia and Europe, the average family has fewer than two children. As a result, countries will have smaller work forces and fewer people to care for the elderly.

"It's catastrophic," he says. "Innovation and inspiration really can only come from young people."

Kotkin has spent a lot of time researching the causes of "birth death" in places like Singapore. There, he says, women are choosing to have fewer children in part because they have more opportunities than they did a generation ago. As a result, more women are working and choosing to delay marriage.

But other times, couples say they cannot afford housing to raise children, or are working such long hours that they don't have the time to start a family. "I’m really trying to understand this. I don’t make a moral argument, but I do think it’s something sad," he says. "We may be vastly underestimating how slow this population growth may turn out to be."